Microsoft’s Xbox One S is just the right kind of mid-generation hardware update. The neater console, with a better bundled gamepad and 4K Blu-ray drive, is tempting enough without feeling like a big ol’ middle finger to OG Xbox One owners. When it launched in the UK towards the beginning of last month, though, its £350 price tag wasn’t exactly accessible. But today, the first One S console bundles (with FIFA 17 included) have launched, lowering the cost of entry to dangerous, impulse-buy territory.
Whereas the standalone console has a 2TB HDD, the bundles include boxes with only 500GB or 1TB of storage. But if that’s not a deal-breaker, then you’re in for a treat. With retailers — namely Amazon and Tesco — egging each other on in a race to the bottom, you can get yourself a 500GB FIFA 17 bundle for £224, or the 1TB bundle for as little as £274. Considering FIFA 17 is £37 from Amazon on its own and the cheapest original Xbox One is typically around the £225 mark, these new bundles are basically steals.
They should retail at £250 and £300 respectively, remember, so there’s no telling how long these discounts will last. But, even if you do end up paying the RRP, the launch of these cheap bundles is a clear message that the original Xbox One is all but obsolete.
